Speaking at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York, Albares stressed the need for preconditions in any negotiations with Syria’s leadership to secure a peaceful future.
He emphasized that opposition forces must transition into a political movement while ensuring respect for human rights, minority rights, and Syria’s territorial integrity.
“We must move very fast because in a month, probably, decisions will have already been taken in Damascus and we will not be able to have the impact that we can have today,” Albares said.
While acknowledging that rebel forces are currently presenting demands that “seem fairly reasonable,” Albares warned against delisting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, from the list of terrorist organizations.